Help keep illegal animal traps out of Ireland 14 July 2009 Help keep illegal traps out of Ireland. If you see any of the following traps for sale in Irish shops (or being used here) please report them immediately - Nooski trap, electronic mouse and rat killers, glue traps and glue boards, the Mousemaster trap, unstopped snares, leghold traps. Anyone found importing, possessing and/or offering for sale any of the following traps faces prosecution under the Wildlife Act. We appeal to members of the public with information on unlawful traps to please get in touch with us now or directly contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service (Tel: 01-8882000 / www.npws.ie / natureconservation@environ.ie). Note: This is not a complete list of Ireland's unlawful traps. Also not included here are traps that are unlawful to use except under licence. If in doubt about a trap, contact ICABS or the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Nooski trap The Nooski trap from New Zealand which strangles animals to death. This trap is bizarrely marketed as "humane" and was featured on TV3 but, as confirmed by Environment Minister John Gormley, it is illegal. Electronic mouse and rat killers Electronic mouse and rat killers which lure victims into a battery-charged container and cruelly electrocute them. If you are aware of anyone possessing or offering these unlawful traps for sale, please immediately notify the NPWS Glue traps Glue traps and glue boards capture rodents and other small creatures in a sticky base from which there is no escape. In their desperation to get free, animals bite off their limbs and struggle so hard that their fur is painfully ripped from their flesh. Please get in touch with us now if you spot these for sale in any Irish shop or website. Mousemaster trap The Mousemaster trap, consisting of a red and white bucket, draws animals onto the lid where they fall into water and drown. Leghold traps Leghold traps - also known as gin traps [1] - violently snap shut around an animal's leg and bite into its flesh. Crushed paws and broken bones mean that the victim suffers an agonising end. The bottom half of the image [2] shows the fully opened jaws of the trap. When an animal steps on the trap, the jaws snap shut with great force [3]. Unstopped snares Unstopped snares. Animals caught in any kind of snare will frantically struggle to regain their freedom and suffer bruises and cuts to their bodies. They will subsequently be shot or, as one heartless farmer admitted, battered with a baseball bat. Due to the dreadful pain and distress caused, all snares should be banned but it is only those without a stop device (to prevent the noose from closing completely) that are currently illegal. Make a donation to ICABS Please consider making a donation to ICABS. For more details, please click on the button below or follow this link to find out how to become a campaign supporter. Thank you. News Menu | Join | Top | Home